The present invention relates generally to archery arrows and more specifically to apparatus that provides a tracer light in the rear end of the arrow so that the arrow""s flight may be tracked and its post flight location readily determined.
Tracking, finding and identifying an arrow that has been shot from a bow has long been a problem that has confronted archers. Several scenarios create such a problem. When an arrow is shot and misses its intended target it is often difficult to find, especially in a forest or wooded environment. If wind is a factor, it becomes difficult to trace the trajectory and flight path of an ordinary arrow to assess the effect of the wind and to correct for windage on the next shot. When several archers are competitively shooting at the same target it may be impossible to distinguish one arrow from another at shooting distance from the target.
Accordingly, it is the principal object of the present invention to provide an illuminated arrow whose lighted tail end may be turned on by the act of shooting the arrow from a bow.
A second object of the invention is to provide an archer""s arrow whose lighted tail end w ill provide tracking throughout the flight of the arrow and will become a beacon for determining the location of the arrow after it has come to rest.
Another object of the invention is to provide a coded light in an archer""s arrow that will distinguish one archer""s arrow from that of another archer.
The basic concept of illuminating an arrow is not new, as evidenced by a review of prior U.S. patents. However, the present invention constitutes a significant improvement over the illuminated arrows and darts of the prior art which will now be briefly reviewed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,340,930 for Light Assembly for Archers Arrows uses a normally open electrical circuit to control a lamp nested within the nock of the arrow. A manually operated slide switch closes the circuit to illuminate the lamp. With this arrangement, the light must be manually turned on prior to the shooting of the arrow.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,547,837 discloses a tracer light for an arrow having a battery and a L.E.D which is energized by manually screwing the nock assembly into the aluminum cylinder which houses the electrical circuitry.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,840,383 discloses a dart with fiber optics that conducts light from a forwardly positioned L.E.D. or lamp to illuminate the tail fins of the dart. The light source is turned on and off by a manually operated switch.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,856, 792 teaches an arrow with a chemical light source. The archer activates the light stick by bending it and then inserting the stick into a cavity in the rear end of the arrow, prior to firing the it.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,989,881 a battery and an L.E.D. are positioned in a recess in the barrel of a dart. The light source is activated by interconnecting the barrel and the point and tail sections of the dart.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,900 discloses a general purpose illuminator assembly that responds to acceleration and deceleration of the housing structure to turn the light source on and off.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,141,229 utilizes the acceleration and deceleration of an allow body to close a plurality of switches that activate a radio transmitter signal so as to locate the arrow by a directional signal receiver from a remote location.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,425,542 teaches an illuminated dart whose internally mounted light source is activated by a switch that functions by relative movement between the shaft and body of the dart assembly.
In view of this lengthy list of prior art patents directed to illuminated arrows and darts, it is a further object of the present invention to provide a magnetically operated switching device that will turn the light source in the arrow on as the arrow is launched from the bow.
A further object of the invention is to provide an illuminated arrow, dart or similar projectile with circuitry that will control the length of time the taillight remains on or creates a flashing light code that can be used to identify one archer""s arrow from that of another.
A still further object of the invention is to provide blinking illumination for an arrow, or other projectile, that can be used to extend the life of the battery that powers the light source in the arrow.
Another object of the invention is to provide a tail end illuminated arrow that contains an aperture in the arrow""s nock that significantly improves the visibility of the light in the arrow.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon a reading of the following detailed description of a preferred form of the invention, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.